diff --git a/eng/pipelines/runtime-staging.yml b/eng/pipelines/runtime-staging.yml
index 2abbda21953ae3..e716216f09c46d 100644
--- a/eng/pipelines/runtime-staging.yml
+++ b/eng/pipelines/runtime-staging.yml
@@ -66,7 +66,6 @@ jobs:
     platforms:
     - iOSSimulator_x64
     - tvOSSimulator_x64
-    - MacCatalyst_x64
     variables:
       # map dependencies variables to local variables
       - name: librariesContainsChange
@@ -96,6 +95,48 @@ jobs:
           eq(variables['monoContainsChange'], true),
           eq(variables['isFullMatrix'], true))
 
+#
+# MacCatalyst interp - requires AOT Compilation and Interp flags 
+# Build the whole product using Mono and run libraries tests
+#
+- template: /eng/pipelines/common/platform-matrix.yml
+  parameters:
+    jobTemplate: /eng/pipelines/common/global-build-job.yml
+    helixQueuesTemplate: /eng/pipelines/libraries/helix-queues-setup.yml
+    buildConfig: Release
+    runtimeFlavor: mono
+    platforms:
+    - MacCatalyst_x64
+    - MacCatalyst_arm64
+    variables:
+      # map dependencies variables to local variables
+      - name: librariesContainsChange
+        value: $[ dependencies.evaluate_paths.outputs['SetPathVars_libraries.containsChange'] ]
+      - name: monoContainsChange
+        value: $[ dependencies.evaluate_paths.outputs['SetPathVars_mono.containsChange'] ]
+    jobParameters:
+      testGroup: innerloop
+      nameSuffix: AllSubsets_Mono
+      buildArgs: -s mono+libs+host+packs+libs.tests -c $(_BuildConfig) /p:ArchiveTests=true /p:RunAOTCompilation=true /p:MonoForceInterpreter=true
+      timeoutInMinutes: 180
+      condition: >-
+        or(
+          eq(dependencies.evaluate_paths.outputs['SetPathVars_libraries.containsChange'], true),
+          eq(dependencies.evaluate_paths.outputs['SetPathVars_mono.containsChange'], true),
+          eq(dependencies.evaluate_paths.outputs['SetPathVars_installer.containsChange'], true),
+          eq(variables['isFullMatrix'], true))
+      # extra steps, run tests
+      extraStepsTemplate: /eng/pipelines/libraries/helix.yml
+      extraStepsParameters:
+        creator: dotnet-bot
+        interpreter: true
+        testRunNamePrefixSuffix: Mono_$(_BuildConfig)
+        condition: >-
+          or(
+          eq(variables['librariesContainsChange'], true),
+          eq(variables['monoContainsChange'], true),
+          eq(variables['isFullMatrix'], true))
+
 #
 # Build the whole product using Mono and run libraries tests
 #
diff --git a/eng/testing/tests.mobile.targets b/eng/testing/tests.mobile.targets
index 2fedf68d956005..1a8c3d9405909d 100644
--- a/eng/testing/tests.mobile.targets
+++ b/eng/testing/tests.mobile.targets
@@ -160,8 +160,16 @@
       <MainLibraryFileName Condition="'$(MainLibraryFileName)' == ''">AppleTestRunner.dll</MainLibraryFileName>
       <_MobileIntermediateOutputPath Condition="'$(RunAOTCompilation)' == 'true'">$(IntermediateOutputPath)mobile</_MobileIntermediateOutputPath>
     </PropertyGroup>
+    <PropertyGroup>
+      <AOTMode Condition="'$(TargetOS)' != 'MacCatalyst'">Full</AOTMode>
+      <AOTMode Condition="'$(TargetOS)' == 'MacCatalyst' and '$(MonoForceInterpreter)' != 'true'">Full</AOTMode>
+      <AOTMode Condition="'$(TargetOS)' == 'MacCatalyst' and '$(MonoForceInterpreter)' == 'true'">JustInterp</AOTMode>      
+    </PropertyGroup>
     <ItemGroup>
-      <AotInputAssemblies Condition="'$(RunAOTCompilation)' == 'true'" Include="$(PublishDir)*.dll" Exclude="$(PublishDir)System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.dll">
+      <_AotExcludeAssemblies Include="$(PublishDir)System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.dll" />
+      <_AotExcludeAssemblies Include="@(NativeLibraries->'$(PublishDir)%(Identity)')" />
+
+      <AotInputAssemblies Condition="'$(RunAOTCompilation)' == 'true'" Include="$(PublishDir)*.dll" Exclude="@(_AotExcludeAssemblies)">
         <AotArguments>@(MonoAOTCompilerDefaultAotArguments, ';')</AotArguments>
         <ProcessArguments>@(MonoAOTCompilerDefaultProcessArguments, ';')</ProcessArguments>
       </AotInputAssemblies>
@@ -175,7 +183,7 @@
     <MonoAOTCompiler Condition="'$(RunAOTCompilation)' == 'true'"
         CompilerBinaryPath="$(MonoAotCrossCompilerPath)"
         OutputDir="$(_MobileIntermediateOutputPath)"
-        Mode="Full"
+        Mode="$(AOTMode)"
         OutputType="AsmOnly"
         Assemblies="@(AotInputAssemblies)"
         AotModulesTablePath="$(BundleDir)\modules.m"
diff --git a/src/libraries/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo/tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests.csproj b/src/libraries/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo/tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests.csproj
index 7efbc8bc54c827..ad027e8be25474 100644
--- a/src/libraries/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo/tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests.csproj
+++ b/src/libraries/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo/tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests/System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.Tests.csproj
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@
       <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
     </Content>
   </ItemGroup>
+  <ItemGroup Condition="'$(RunAOTCompilation)' == 'true'">
+    <!-- Identifies native libraries that should be skipped during AOT -->
+    <NativeLibraries Include="NativeLibrary.dll" />
+    <NativeLibraries Include="SecondNativeLibrary.dll" />
+  </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <Compile Include="FileVersionInfoTest.cs" />
     <Compile Include="AssemblyInfo.cs" />
diff --git a/src/mono/CMakeLists.txt b/src/mono/CMakeLists.txt
index 22cf849b4460f2..801610da782fbc 100644
--- a/src/mono/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/mono/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -160,11 +160,11 @@ if(NOT AOT_TARGET_TRIPLE STREQUAL "")
   elseif(AOT_TARGET_TRIPLE STREQUAL "x86_64-apple-maccatalyst")
     set(TARGET_SYSTEM_NAME "Darwin")
     set(TARGET_ARCH "x86_64")
-    set(CMAKE_SYSTEM_VARIANT "MacCatalyst")
+    set(TARGET_MACCAT 1)
   elseif(AOT_TARGET_TRIPLE STREQUAL "aarch64-apple-maccatalyst")
     set(TARGET_SYSTEM_NAME "Darwin")
     set(TARGET_ARCH "arm64")
-    set(CMAKE_SYSTEM_VARIANT "MacCatalyst")
+    set(TARGET_MACCAT 1)
   elseif(AOT_TARGET_TRIPLE STREQUAL "wasm32-unknown-none")
     set(TARGET_SYSTEM_NAME "Emscripten")
     set(TARGET_ARCH "wasm")
@@ -296,9 +296,6 @@ if(TARGET_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Darwin")
   set(TARGET_MACH 1)
   set(TARGET_OSX 1)
   set(TARGET_DARWIN 1)
-  if(CMAKE_SYSTEM_VARIANT STREQUAL "MacCatalyst")
-    set(TARGET_MACCAT 1)
-  endif()
 elseif(TARGET_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "iOS" OR TARGET_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "tvOS")
   set(TARGET_MACH 1)
   set(TARGET_IOS 1)
@@ -744,7 +741,7 @@ set(FULL_VERSION ${product_version_string})
 ######################################
 # OS SPECIFIC CHECKS
 ######################################
-if(TARGET_IOS OR TARGET_ANDROID OR TARGET_MACCAT)
+if(HOST_IOS OR HOST_ANDROID OR HOST_MACCAT)
   # FIXME: the mobile products use mono_dllmap_insert so allow this
   unset(DISABLE_DLLMAP)
 else()
diff --git a/src/mono/Directory.Build.props b/src/mono/Directory.Build.props
index 356a3175019ad8..2eb7bc5647519c 100644
--- a/src/mono/Directory.Build.props
+++ b/src/mono/Directory.Build.props
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@
     <watchOSVersionMin>2.0</watchOSVersionMin>
     <watchOS64_32VersionMin>5.1</watchOS64_32VersionMin>
     <macOSVersionMin>10.13</macOSVersionMin>
-    <macOSVersionMin Condition="'$(TargetOS)' == 'OSX' and '$(TargetArchitecture)' == 'arm64'">11.0</macOSVersionMin>
+    <!-- FIXME: when we're building ios or tvOS cross-compilers hosted on OSX/arm64 targeting ios/arm64 we should set the min macOS version to 11.0, also -->
+    <macOSVersionMin Condition="('$(TargetOS)' == 'OSX' or '$(TargetOS)' == 'MacCatalyst') and '$(TargetArchitecture)' == 'arm64'">11.0</macOSVersionMin>
 
     <!-- Version of the OS SDK we target -->
     <iOSVersion></iOSVersion>
diff --git a/src/mono/mono/utils/mono-mmap.c b/src/mono/mono/utils/mono-mmap.c
index e362b698dc454c..08ce984f25e6c5 100644
--- a/src/mono/mono/utils/mono-mmap.c
+++ b/src/mono/mono/utils/mono-mmap.c
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ mono_valloc (void *addr, size_t length, int flags, MonoMemAccountType type)
 		}
 		if ((flags & MONO_MMAP_JIT) && (use_mmap_jit || is_hardened_runtime == 1))
 			mflags |= MAP_JIT;
-#if defined(HOST_ARM64)
+#if defined(HOST_ARM64) && !defined(HOST_MACCAT)
 		/* Patching code on apple silicon seems to cause random crashes without this flag */
 		/* No __builtin_available in old versions of Xcode that could be building Mono on x86 or amd64 */
 		if (__builtin_available (macOS 11, *))
diff --git a/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/AppleAppBuilder.cs b/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/AppleAppBuilder.cs
index 85efde52b045fa..2434ad8300191f 100644
--- a/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/AppleAppBuilder.cs
+++ b/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/AppleAppBuilder.cs
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ public override bool Execute()
             throw new InvalidOperationException("Need list of AOT files for device builds.");
         }
 
-        if (ForceInterpreter && ForceAOT)
+        if (TargetOS != TargetNames.MacCatalyst && ForceInterpreter && ForceAOT)
         {
             throw new InvalidOperationException("Interpreter and AOT cannot be enabled at the same time");
         }
diff --git a/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Templates/runtime.m b/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Templates/runtime.m
index 8b8d6d181d00de..03e7e982d9bdea 100644
--- a/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Templates/runtime.m
+++ b/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Templates/runtime.m
@@ -260,14 +260,22 @@
 
     monovm_initialize (sizeof (appctx_keys) / sizeof (appctx_keys [0]), appctx_keys, appctx_values);
 
-#if FORCE_INTERPRETER
+#if (FORCE_INTERPRETER && !FORCE_AOT)
+    // interp w/ JIT fallback. Assumption is that your configuration can JIT
     os_log_info (OS_LOG_DEFAULT, "INTERP Enabled");
     mono_jit_set_aot_mode (MONO_AOT_MODE_INTERP_ONLY);
 #elif (!TARGET_OS_SIMULATOR && !TARGET_OS_MACCATALYST) || FORCE_AOT
     register_dllmap ();
     // register modules
     register_aot_modules ();
+
+#if (FORCE_INTERPRETER && TARGET_OS_MACCATALYST)
+    os_log_info (OS_LOG_DEFAULT, "AOT INTERP Enabled");
+    mono_jit_set_aot_mode (MONO_AOT_MODE_INTERP);
+#else
     mono_jit_set_aot_mode (MONO_AOT_MODE_FULL);
+#endif
+
 #endif
 
     mono_debug_init (MONO_DEBUG_FORMAT_MONO);
diff --git a/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Xcode.cs b/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Xcode.cs
index 3245ba2695a040..34982bb28c36a1 100644
--- a/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Xcode.cs
+++ b/src/tasks/AppleAppBuilder/Xcode.cs
@@ -197,7 +197,8 @@ public string GenerateXCode(
         {
             defines.AppendLine("add_definitions(-DFORCE_INTERPRETER=1)");
         }
-        else if (forceAOT)
+
+        if (forceAOT)
         {
             defines.AppendLine("add_definitions(-DFORCE_AOT=1)");
         }